Printed and folded sheets, in signature form, commonly require a final trimming of the edges. That is, the folded signature commonly requires that its free unfolded edges be trimmed. The trimming operation can require that the signatures be specially handled to be moved to a trimmer.
The present invention provides for an automated type of signature handling for trimming the edges of the signature and for subsequently stacking the trimmed signature in a compensated stack, such that the folds in the signature are on opposite sides of the final stack to thereby have a level stack of signatures. In accomplishing this objective, the signature can be virtually continuously moved into a trimmer and then into its compensated stack position, and thus a high-speed but yet accurate procedure is achieved.
More specifically, the present invention provides apparatus and method for handling signatures which can be trimmed by a rotation process, and thus the signatures can be continuously moved along a line of progression to their final stacked orientation. This arrangement provides for a high productivity in a given amount of time, and it also provides for a clean and accurate cut or trim to the signature and the compensated stacking of the trimmed signature.